— CASE STUDY · SALERNO’S PIZZA
Salerno’s Pizza: A 50-year-old pizza brand’s complete digital transformation — website, ordering, and marketing across four Chicagoland locations.
The Digital Restaurant rebuilt Salerno’s digital foundation — website, direct ordering, mobile app, and loyalty rewards — eliminating third-party commission costs and driving growth across four Chicagoland locations.
Chicagoland, Illinois · 2016–2020 · Website, ordering, and marketing
27%
Direct order growth
Across four Chicagoland locations
32x
Email list growth
From 375 to over 12,000 subscribers in 22 months
— PROJECT OVERVIEW
| BRAND | Salerno’s Pizza |
| FOOTPRINT | 4 restaurant locations |
| MARKETS | Bolingbrook, Chicago, Oak Park, and Lyons |
SERVICES
Website development, direct ordering, third-party order redirect, local and organic SEO, email, social and paid advertising, loyalty rewards, and new-location launches
— THE CHALLENGE
A 50-year-old brand losing revenue to third-party platforms.
Salerno’s had served Chicagoland since 1966, but heading into its 50th-anniversary year, guests were ordering through third-party apps at commission rates near 27% — while the brand’s own website and ordering tools weren’t capturing that demand. The team needed a simpler way for guests to order directly and a coordinated marketing plan for all four locations.
A website that was not converting visitors into online customers
Third-party ordering commissions reducing margins
Online ordering that needed a simpler customer experience
Phone-order pressure and order-taking errors during busy periods
Limited email-list growth and opportunities to reach returning guests
Different local marketing needs across four restaurant locations
— HOW WE WORKED
Building Salerno’s digital foundation for revenue growth
We worked with ownership and marketing leadership to diagnose the gaps, build the direct-ordering and marketing infrastructure, and grow revenue across all four locations — then used the same system to launch a fifth.
01
Diagnose
Reviewed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for each location, then built a marketing plan around online sales and repeat visits.
02
Build
Rebuilt the website, introduced direct ordering with POS integration, redirected third-party order volume to eliminate commission fees, and optimized local and organic SEO across all four locations.
03
Grow
Coordinated email, social media, paid advertising, catering promotions, mobile ordering, and loyalty rewards through a shared marketing calendar — then applied the same playbook to launch the new Lyons location.
— WORK DELIVERED
Direct ordering
Introduced a new online ordering system with POS integration at every location, so orders moved directly into the kitchen workflow. Clear ordering links and direct-order offers gave guests a reason to use Salerno’s own channels.
Direct ordering
POS integration
Order flow
Direct order growth
27%
Across four Chicagoland locations
— WORK DELIVERED
Third-party order redirect
Each location was routing significant order volume through third-party platforms like GrubHub, DoorDash, and Seamless at roughly 27% average commission. We redirected that demand to Salerno’s own direct-ordering channels — at zero commission.
Commission elimination
Direct ordering
Order redirect
Estimated annual savings
$250K+
In eliminated third-party commission fees
— WORK DELIVERED
Website
Salerno’s old website was outdated and not mobile-optimized, despite 63% of its online traffic already coming from mobile devices. We built a fully functional, high-performing RichMenu website within four weeks — mobile-first, fast-loading, and fully owned by Salerno’s rather than locked into a third-party platform — timed to reflect the brand’s 50th-anniversary milestone.
Website design
Brand refresh
50th anniversary
Mobile PageSpeed score
98+
Independently verified
— WORK DELIVERED
Local search across four locations
Optimized Google Business Profiles and local directory listings for Bolingbrook, Chicago, Oak Park, and Lyons, helping guests find and choose the right location on Maps and in local search.
Google Business Profile
Local listings
Maps optimization
Locations supported
4
Bolingbrook, Chicago, Oak Park, and Lyons
— WORK DELIVERED
Organic SEO and website traffic
Rebuilt the website’s SEO foundation to capture organic search traffic and convert it into direct orders — traffic that was previously flowing to third-party platforms instead of Salerno’s own site.
Organic SEO
Content optimization
Website traffic
Estimated organic traffic growth
300%+
Reported in the first year following the relaunch
— WORK DELIVERED
Email marketing
Built a marketing calendar and multiple sign-up channels that grew the customer email list, giving Salerno’s a direct line to guests beyond social and search.
Email marketing
List growth
Automation
Email list growth
32x
From 375 to over 12,000 subscribers in 22 months
— WORK DELIVERED
Social media and advertising
Coordinated social media content and paid advertising — including Facebook and Waze campaigns — with location-specific promotions that encouraged direct orders and repeat visits.
Social media
Paid advertising
PPC
Average cost per click
$0.35
Waze advertising, driving local foot traffic
— WORK DELIVERED
Catering sales campaign
Built a dedicated catering page and revamped the catering menu, optimized both for search, then promoted the offering through email, social media, and paid advertising heading into the holiday season.
Catering page
Menu revamp
Holiday promotion
Catering sales uplift
20%
Compared to the previous year’s holiday season
— WORK DELIVERED
Mobile ordering experience
Launched a mobile ordering experience built as a progressive web app, so guests could order and engage with Salerno’s without needing to download anything from an app store.
Mobile ordering
Progressive web app
App-free adoption
Mobile experience
Order direct
No app store download required
— WORK DELIVERED
Loyalty rewards program
Built an integrated tablet and mobile loyalty program — a check-in system for walk-in and dine-in guests, and a mobile rewards experience for carry-out and delivery — so every guest earned rewards regardless of how they ordered.
Loyalty program
Tablet check-in
Rewards
Loyalty rewards
Every guest
Rewarded across dine-in, carryout, and delivery
— WORK DELIVERED
New location opening: Lyons
Supported the full launch of Salerno’s Lyons location — a dedicated website location page, online ordering setup, and grand-opening marketing campaigns to drive awareness from day one.
New location launch
Grand opening campaign
Location page
New location
Lyons, IL
Full launch: website, ordering, and grand-opening campaigns
— PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
Website and marketing results
Revenue recovered, traffic rebuilt, and a system built to repeat across every location.
ESTIMATED ANNUAL SAVINGS
$250K+
In eliminated third-party commission fees.
MOBILE PERFORMANCE
98+
Mobile PageSpeed score, independently verified.
ORGANIC TRAFFIC GROWTH
300%+
Reported in the first year following the relaunch.
CATERING SALES BOOST
20%
From a dedicated catering campaign during the holiday season.
— PROJECT EXAMPLES
The website, mobile experience, and local search
Snapshots from the redesign, mobile rollout, and local search work.
Website · Direct ordering
Mobile · Ordering and rewards
Search · Local visibility
— THE OUTCOME
What changed for Salerno’s?
The first 90 days brought more online sales, fewer phone orders during busy periods, fewer order errors, and lower third-party ordering commissions, with POS integration simplifying order handling. That momentum compounded over the following years: direct orders grew 27%, the email list grew 32x, organic traffic grew an estimated 300%+, and redirecting demand off third-party platforms saved an estimated $250K+ annually. The same system was later used to launch Salerno’s fifth location, in Lyons.
“We were able to bring our restaurant brand to the 21st century finally with technology and marketing provided by The Digital Restaurant team. With these improvements, we are seeing our online sales grow at each of our locations while streamlining our operations.”
Emilio Morrone
Marketing Director, Salerno’s Pizza
— SERVICES APPLIED
Website, ordering, and marketing services
— FOR MULTI-LOCATION RESTAURANTS
Stop paying third-party commissions on orders that should be yours.
Talk with us about direct ordering, local visibility, and a marketing system that scales as you open new locations.
More case studies
Hospitality group
📍 Chicago & DMV markets
Street Guys Hospitality
A connected website, search, and advertising system supported four concepts across ten locations.
+38%
Organic traffic growth
for Ambar over 90 days
Website
Local SEO
Growth strategy
Multi-location brand
📍 Chicago, Illinois
Salerno’s Pizza
A faster website connected four locations with direct ordering and local search.
+27%
Online order growth
within 90 days
Website
Local SEO
Online ordering
Independent restaurant
📍 Orland Park, Illinois
Palermo’s Pizza
A long-term website and local search partnership supported growth and a major location move.
100+
Mobile PageSpeed result
with Core Web Vitals passing
Website
Local SEO
Paid search
Multi-location brand
📍 Albany, New York Capital Region
518 Donuts
Website and local marketing improvements helped turn more searches into online orders.
+41%
Online order growth
after the website improvements
Website
Local SEO
Online ordering
Independent restaurant
📍 Hickory Hills, Illinois
The Pit Rib House
A faster website and local search strategy made it easier for guests to order online or reserve a table.
+45%
Online order growth
following the rebuild
Website
Local SEO
Online ordering
Multi-location brand
📍 Northern Illinois
Rosati’s Pizza
A faster website connected restaurant discovery with ordering and Rewards Club signups.
+37%
Rewards Club signups
following the website work
Website
Rewards
Online ordering
Multi-location brand
📍 Oklahoma & Texas
Firo Pizza
One fast website connected four locations with local discovery and direct ordering.
95+
Mobile PageSpeed result
across the restaurant website
Website
Local SEO
Online ordering
Virtual kitchen
📍 Nationwide shipping
Chef Fabio
A new website introduced nationwide meal delivery and made ordering simple.
97+
Mobile PageSpeed result
with a 0.9-second load time
Website
Meal ordering
Technical SEO
Independent restaurant
📍 Volo, Illinois
Bobby’s Barrel
Clear breakfast and pizza menu paths made the website easier to use and easier to find.
+29%
Organic traffic growth
after the website improvements
Website
Menu navigation
Local SEO
Hospitality group
📍 Southern California
Shogun Restaurant
SEO, local search, social media, and email marketing strengthened discovery and owned audiences across eight locations.
+50%
Google profile data
increase across locations
Social media
Local SEO
Email marketing
Real Strategies.
Real Growth.
Real Results.
See how these strategies drive real traffic, orders, and revenue →